Read the transcript from the Monday show

REVEREND AL SHARPTON, MSNBC ANCHOR: Good evening, Ed. And thanks to you for tuning in.

Tonight`s lead, two major developments in two NFL scandals that could put commissioner Roger Goodell in a tough position. NBC sports reporting tonight Ray Rice will go on the offense, appealing the indefinite suspension handed down by the league. He is expected to file by tomorrow. The suspension came after this video surfaced, showing Rice punching his then fiancee in an elevator. Rice is expected to argue he told the team and the league that he punched her before his original two-game suspension. The commissioner has said the video was, quote, "starkly different than Rice`s version. A point Rice is expected to challenge. Meanwhile, over the weekend, Rice made his first public appearance since the story exploded, showing up at his old high school for a football game, with his family, and his hometown embraced him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m highly upset. The only thing we can do is pray for him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m just here today because I`m here to support Ray Rice. And I think that people should be forgiving and give everyone an opportunity to redeem themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Today, NFL commissioner Goodell responded to the negative PR, announcing he`s hiring four women to advise the league on its domestic violence policy. The move followed an NFL game day that saw planes, bearing "Goodell must go" banner flying over at least two stadiums.

And today new questions for a league with another scandal, a scandal played by Vikings player Adrian Peterson will be playing this week. He was indicted this weekend for hitting his 4-year-old son with a tree branch. Peterson saying today, he didn`t intend to harm his son, and he`s not a child abuser. It`s a story sparking a national debate on parenting, and we`ll talk about it.

But we start with Ray Rice going on offense. Joining me now is Goldie Taylor and MSNBC contributor and Dana Jacobson host with CBS morning sports radio. Thank you both, first of all, for being here.

DANA JACOBSON, HOST, CBS MORNING SPORTS RADIO: Thank you.

GOLDIE TAYLOR, MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you, Reverend Sharpton.

SHARPTON: Dana, the big news today, Ray Rice is expected to appeal his indefinite suspension. Does he have a case? Or what could this mean for the commissioner?

JACOBSON: Well, he definitely has a case. And I think the reason that we`re seeing this appeal, despite when he got the two-game suspension, he said he wasn`t going to appeal that. Shortly after that, the league came out with its new domestic violence policy which was six games on the first offense, which is what this is for Ray Rice. So that`s his justification for appeal, is that they went from two games, suddenly they went to a season-long, really an indefinite ban, so it could be beyond that. And I think just on a procedural looking at it from procedural background, that`s where he has his justification. No matter what was said to commissioner Goodell, that was the rule that was in place.

SHARPTON: Goldie, does he have a case?

TAYLOR: He absolutely does have a case, although I differ as to why. In the new policy, he could receive a full suspension, a full indefinite suspension if there were what the commissioner called mitigating circumstances. And you could receive that on the very first offense. But where he does have a great case, and whether or not you believe he should play again tomorrow or next year or never again, where he does have a great case for appeal is he explicitly says that he told the truth the first time, and that the league had all of the information necessary to make a decision the first time. And that only after this tape was produced did they go back and change their mind in the face of public furor. And so, while this is in a court of law, certainly this is about fundamental fairness and fairness, of course, also has to be extended to Ray Rice.

The second part of this is, they`re going to have to appoint an independent arbiter on this, Goodell cannot manage this appeal and police himself. And so in that way, you may find Ray Rice has a good chance to appeal to return to the field prior to next season. However, you got to ask yourself, which team is going to sign him now?

SHARPTON: But, Dana, isn`t this really about who knew what when in terms of the NFL? And then let me give you a second part to this. He was suspended by the league, and his contract was terminated by the Ravens. But here`s what the collective bargaining agreement between players and the league reads and I`m reading directly from the collective bargaining agreement.

The commissioner and a club will not both discipline a player for the same act or conduct. The commissioner`s disciplinary action will preclude or supersede disciplinary action by any club for the same act or conduct. So could Rice argue that he was punished twice for the same infraction?

JACOBSON: According to the letter of the law, it sounds like he can. And that`s what -- the NFL players association is looking at what it can do, how it should appeal this. They have until essentially midnight tomorrow, so 11:59 p.m. eastern time, Tuesday, to make that appeal. It is about who knew what when. But even if you go back, we`ve heard already the conflicting reports that there are several people who have backed up Ray Rice`s story, and the commissioner has stood by the fact that he didn`t know the full facts in the case. You have Ozzie Newsome, who is the GM of the Ravens who said he knew everything. And other people now saying, no, we didn`t have the full story.

So if you`re going back to who knew, what, when, you could then go back to the well then why was a two-game suspension, why would that OK? And why once you first knew that, didn`t you go with the six-game suspension? Despite any of the mitigating circumstances.

And one thing that Goldie said about having to find somebody independently to hear this, they already have that precedent from the Saints from Bounty Gate, where they went to former commissioner Paul Tagliabue and -- exactly.

(CROSSTALK)

JACOBSON: And he certainly in this case -- I mean, in that case, you could have said it was too harsh of a punishment. In this case, because of all the murkiness involved, he has to.

SHARPTON: But Goldie, let me bring it to another level. Because last week, 16 female senators sent a letter to the NFL demanding a zero tolerance policy. And this weekend, one of those senators, Kirsten Gillibrand had tough words for Roger Goodell. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D), NEW YORK: I think the way the NFL handled this was awful. It was outrageous. We are now looking to the commissioner to enforce a zero tolerance policy. Given the recent debate, you know, if he`s lied, if he lied to the American people, then he has to step down. Because he won`t have the force of authority to change how they address these issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Goldie, in the end, how do we force change in the NFL?

TAYLOR: I think a couple of things I disagree with here, with Senator Gillibrand. First of all, a zero tolerance policy would seem to me the same punishment to everybody, despite whatever mitigating circumstances there are. And every situation is different. Like zero tolerance in terms of bringing weapons to school and kids bringing scissors or too sharp of a butter knife, intend get expelled from school without any question. And so, zero tolerance is something I can`t really stand up to.

But what I have to ask Senator Gillibrand and the others who signed that letter, I`m very pleased and very proud that they stood up and called out the NFL out on this. But what about, you know, Judge Mark Fuller down in Alabama? Why haven`t they called for his impeachment? Why this case and why not --

SHARPTON: For our viewers that don`t know, it`s a federal judge who had --

TAYLOR: Absolutely, a federal judge who beat his wife here in Atlanta, got a diversionary program, but no one has called for his impeachment. Why not that? He`s still on the bench and still has his job.

JACOBSON: Because the NFL is in the spotlight right now. And I think that`s a big part of it. Because it seems so much easier. And you are right, when you say zero tolerance and you look at this league, there are going to be different circumstances in each case.

Getting rid of Roger Goodell doesn`t solve the problem. Roger Goodell is doing what the 32 owners want him to do. So if you want to enact change, take the person who`s in that position and start enacting change. Start looking at where he`s failed and you start doing. It`s a really small step in what they did today, the four women that you mentioned, three of whom will be part of a new panel looking into how to discipline, and they`ve also created a vice president position that will be doing outreach for domestic violence --

SHARPTON: Let me press you on that spotlight, because now they are under tremendous scrutiny. And as we were just talking, Goldie and I, about Judge Fuller, who was a federal judge, by the way. But let`s go right back to the NFL in the spotlight. You have the California Panther player Greg Hardy.

JACOBSON: Right.

SHARPTON: He was found guilty of domestic violence over the summer. His ex-girlfriend testified that he dragged her by her hair room to room. She said he was clutching her throat and threatening to kill her. This is a player in the Carolina Panthers.

JACOBSON: Yes.

SHARPTON: At this time, last Friday, he was still scheduled to play, but over the weekend, he was benched. Does this back and forth underscore the need for better guidelines from the league?

JACOBSON: It does, but it`s also, I really do think this goes a lot to the owners. Because Greg Hardy got deactivated by his head coach. Ray McDonald is still playing with the 49ers. There are allegations out there against him, but we haven`t seen anything in a court of law, like we have with Greg Hardy. Adrian Peterson gets deactivated by the Vikings this past weekend. But he`s back. He has been reactivated. He will be playing as they go forward.

Never in this are we hearing from the owners as to their reasoning, why they`re saying to their fans, I`m OK. Why is Jerry Richardson in Carolina saying to his fans, I`m OK with Greg Hardy being out there and playing? That`s a question I think he has to answer. Steve Bisciotti from the Ravens at least has answered some questions now and has said, we should have looked into this more, we should have done more.

So I do think there`s accountability. But I think that accountability doesn`t just go to the commissioner, it really does go to the owners to start enacting something. Roger Goodell can say, here`s my policy, as he did with the domestic violence policy. That`s fine if he is representing the owners. But how about these owners, these powerful men taking a stand themselves and speaking out.

SHARPTON: Got to hold it there. Dana Jacobson and Goldie Taylor, thank you both for your time tonight.

JACOBSON: Thank you.

TAYLOR: Thank you, Reverend Sharpton.

SHARPTON: Coming up, as we mentioned NFL star Adrian Peterson will play this week after getting indicted for striking his son with a stick. It`s sparking a national parenting debate, how far is too far?

And President Obama`s campaign to defeat the terrorist group ISIS. Today, news on a critical part of the U.S. plan.

Plus, Hillary Clinton is in Iowa. And it has everyone talking 2016. But will she have the progressive left behind her? It`s big news tonight. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Today the world made it clear that the latest ISIS atrocity, the beheading of a British aid worker will not stop the global campaign to destroy the terrorist group. And the American people are with the president. That`s next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Developing news tonight in the fight against ISIS. Today, world leaders gathered in Paris, pledging military and logistical support to President Obama`s campaign to defeat the terrorist group. A critical part of the U.S. plan. Today`s summit comes after ISIS released another beheading video, this time showing a British aid worker named David Haines. His brother talked about the toll it`s taken on their family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL HAINES, BROTHER OF BEHEADED HOSTAGE: We hoped, we prayed in our own way, unfortunately it was not in our hands, it was not in the hands of the government. It was in the hands of terrorists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: If the ISIS terrorists thought these awful beheadings would shake American resolve, then they were wrong. A new NBC poll shows 62 percent of Americans support the president`s actions against ISIS. Just 22 percent oppose.

But in Washington, some of the right think the president hasn`t gone far enough. Here`s what Senator Lindsey Graham said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: We`re fighting a terrorist army, not an organization. It`s going to take an army to beat an army. And this idea we`ll never have any boots on the ground to defeat them in Syria is fantasy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: U.S. combat troops on the ground? That`s the last thing that Americans want. And just a few weeks ago, Graham admitted it, saying, quote, "I don`t think we need boots on the ground. I don`t think that`s an option worth consideration." Graham was against it before he was for it. It is time to stop playing political games. It`s time to rally behind a plan to stop ISIS without getting bogged down once again in Iraq.

Joining me now is congressman Chaka Fattah, Democrat from Pennsylvania and Dana Milbank from "The Washington Post." Thank you both for joining me.

DANA MILBANK, POLITICAL COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: Hi, Reverend.

REP. CHAKA FATTAH (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Good to be here.

SHARPTON: Congressman, the American people want to hit ISIS, but they don`t want troops on the ground. Why can`t some Republicans understand that?

FATTAH: Well, we went through the same thing with President Clinton in Bosnia. It was an all air campaign and it worked. So first of all, you don`t hear the joint chiefs saying this won`t work. General Allen, who has been picked to lead this, says it will work. Today some 40 countries pledged to participate.

So I think what you have here, we used to have a situation where politics ended at the water`s edge. We have a commander in chief. We`re going into a military situation. It would be good if even Republicans could just rally around the president and support our efforts here. And not just because Americans or British have been beheaded, but because you`ve had thousands of people slaughtered by this group, and we should be opposed to all of what they`ve done, the raping and the pillaging, going after religious minority groups there, Christians and others. There`s plenty of ample reason to get at these guys. But we can do it and be smart about it and that`s what the president is doing.

SHARPTON: Dana, let me bring the congressman`s statement to you. Politics ends at water`s edge. I mean, does this feel different to you? Are we no longer dealing with these situations like we used to?

MILBANK: I don`t think so. I don`t think it`s been that way now for, 15 or 20 years. It seems to get worse in each case. Now, here you have a case where, you know, if you really woke these guys up in the middle of the night, most folks on the right and left are agreeing with President Obama`s position. But they figure they just have to posture out there.

You know, Lindsey Graham, he`s very amusing. But he would probably get to the point where if President Obama decided to drop a nuclear bomb on Iraq, Lindsey Graham would complain that the mushroom cloud wasn`t big enough.

There is just seems to be nothing that can be done to satisfy that crowd, the Dick Cheney wing of the party. But when push comes to shove, it does look like they are going to get on board, the Congress, at least for the first round of funding for the training in Syria and ultimately down the road. At least if public opinion holds up, they will be pushed to support this overall.

SHARPTON: Now, Congressman, in this anxiety and skepticism, what you`d expect after a decade in the Middle East, last week, Speaker Boehner said he`d back the president`s plan for is. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We stand ready to work with the president, to put in place a plan that would destroy and defeat ISIL. Frankly, we ought to give the president what he`s asking for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: But now we are hearing that house Republicans will try to limit President Obama`s aid to moderate Syrian rebels. First, it was give him what he`s asking for. Now they appear to be trying to tie his hands. Is politics coming back into this, Congressman?

FATTAH: One year ago, the president asked Congress to give him authority to take military action in Syria. The Republicans ran away from that. We are back a year later, saying that you got a group that now has moved between and really limited the border between Syria and Iraq, and it`s causing major damage there to any notion of a stable governmental process. The first thing the president said was, Iraq`s government had to be put together in a way that could unify the country.

That`s happened and it`s happening and now we need to take action to get rid of these people who are murdering children, raping women, and yes, beheading Americans and British, but they have no rules and they have to be dealt with.

SHARPTON: Dana, how does this cut in the midterm elections? I mean, any tracking on this one way or another?

MILBANK: Well, it certainly hasn`t seemed, up until this point, that this would be a foreign policy election. To the extent that it affects when there`s a crisis like this, there typically is a rallying around the president. But let`s make no mistake about it, this is not going to be a good year for the Democrats either way. You can expect to hear some Republicans down the road suggesting a wag the dog situation, that President Obama is dragging them into a war. Nevertheless, never mind that it was a war that many of them were asking for.

SHARPTON: You know, Congressman, if you look at polls, Americans support the president. But they`re also worried about whether the U.S. can eliminate the threat. Twenty eight percent said they have a great deal or quite a bit of confidence in our ability to destroy ISIS, 37 percent have just some confidence, 31 percent have very little confidence. With this skepticism, is this in part what I raised before, after, based on a decade of being involved in war over there?

FATTAH: Well, the one thing you have to do is put the polls to the side. This is going to be a situation where the president`s taking decisive action. He`s rallied the world. We`re going to eliminate this threat.

Now, what the politics of it, some people want to say, it`s going to hurt Democrats. You know, whatever the politics are, the fact is, we cannot, in a civilized world, have people acting this way, attacking people, saying they either convert or die, raping women, killing children, taking prisoners of war and slaughtering them by the hundreds, and beheading people on You Tube videos. This has to end and we`ll deal with the politics as they may come.

SHARPTON: Dana, when we talk about the politics as they may come, we`ve been hearing GOP officials use the ISIS threat to attack President Obama over immigration. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: There is a great concern that our southern border and our northern border is porous and that they will be coming across.

REP. TRENT FRANKS (R), ARIZONA: It is true that we know that ISIS is present in Ciudad Juarez, as so they were within the last few weeks. And so there`s no question they have designs on trying to come into Arizona.

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: Individuals from ISIS or other terrorist states could be, and I think it`s a very real possibility that they may have already used that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: I mean, is that just noise that we should just not listen to, Dana? I mean, ISIS coming from Mexico? I mean, really?

MILBANK: Well, you know, why not throw the kitchen sink at it. It`s like that Republican congressman who`s trying to tie Obama care to Ebola. So they`ll throw whatever they can at it.

The response from the Republican side hasn`t been terribly coherent. On the one hand, you hear them saying well, Obama`s being too timid. He is not being aggressive enough. And then the next breath, they will say, wait. He`s asking for too much money. So on one hand, he is beating too much of a warmonger, and on the other hand, he is being too much of a dove. So you know, they can`t both be true at the same time.

SHARPTON: Have to leave it there. Congressman Fattah, Dana Milbank, thank you both for your time tonight.

MILBANK: Thanks, Reverend.

FATTAH: Thank you.

SHARPTON: Still ahead, the Adrian Peterson child abuse case, the NFL superstar speaking out, and his team says, he will play this week. It`s all sparking a national conversation about culture, parenting, and the right way to raise a child.

Also, Hillary Clinton`s big day in Iowa. She`s making waves by talking about 2016. But can she win over the left? That`s ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Hillary Clinton is back in Iowa and dropping big hints about 2016. But the Democratic Party is different now than it was back in 2008. We`ll talk about her challenges and opportunities, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, hello Iowa!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: I`m back!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: She`s back. Hillary Clinton made her first trip to Iowa this weekend in more than six years. She hadn`t been back since coming in third place in the 2008 caucuses. But yesterday the former secretary of state spoke to a crowd of about 5,000 people. And she dropped some big hints about 2016.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: And then, of course, there`s that other thing.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: Well, it is true, I am thinking about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: She`s thinking about another run. And from raising the minimum wage to fighting for women`s rights, her speech highlighted a progressive agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: We Democrats are for raising the minimum wage, for equal pay for equal work, for making college and technical training affordable, for growing the economy to benefit everyone. Women should be able to make our own health care decisions.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: If you work hard and you play by the rules, you deserve the opportunity, the same opportunity as anyone else, to build a good life for yourself and your family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: These issues are at the heart of the Democratic Party. Progressives like senators Warren and Sanders have helped push them to the forefront. And now we`re hearing people talk about both of them as potential rivals to Mrs. Clinton. No doubt Democrats want to hear more from Mrs. Clinton on income and equality, voting rights, and reforming our criminal justice system. And we may be hearing a lot more from here very soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: It`s really great to be back. Let`s not let another seven years go by. Thank you all very much!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Joining me now is Marc Morial, president of the national urban league, and MSNBC`s Krystal Ball. Thank you both for being here.

MARC MORIAL, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE: Thanks.

KRYSTAL BALL, MSNBC HOST, THE CYCLE: Thanks for having us, Rev.

SHARPTON: Marc, how do you think Hillary Clinton`s speech yesterday plays with the new Democratic base of 2014?

MORIAL: When you talk about minimum wage and you talk about equal pay for equal work, I think it`s an effort to give a nod to what I call the emerging progressive electorate which is an essential component of the democratic party in 2015, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Reverend, the electorate changed from election to election. In 2016, there will be more people of color, there will be more millenials. The electorate of 2016 is not the electorate of 2008, it is not the electorate of 1998, or the electorate of 19892. And I think the candidate to be successful in 2016 is going to have to work to that electorate. And electorate certainly improves, energize, concerns about criminal justice reform, voting rights, jobs, and growing income and equality and the pressuring problems of urban America.

SHARPTON: Krystal, you`ve written that you don`t think Hillary Clinton should run. But if she does, what does she need to do to win over progressives?

BALL: Well, I think as Marc says, it`s a good start to put down the markers of raising the minimum wage. Although I have to say that Mitt Romney is in favor of raising the minimum wage. It is a very popular issue. So it`s hardly a bold and courageous stance at this point.

So she`s still in that sort of testing the waters phase. The thing that would impress me and would impress a lot of progressives who really like this sort of Elizabeth Warren model of populace progressivism. I think what would impress then if she did something that was actually at odds with her potential donor base, right, something that would tackle income and equality like raising the capital gains rate, taking away the carried interest loophole that so many in the financial professions benefit from.

So taking on some issues, having some political courage in the area of taking on Wall Street, rather than just going with the sort of Democratic, mainstream of yes, we want to see a minimum wage increase. But that`s hardly a vision for remaking an American that`s going to work for the broad middle class.

SHARPTON: Marc, you know, I had said that potential presidential candidates need to talk about the shooting of Michael Brown and after a few weeks Hillary Clinton came out with a strong statement. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: Nobody wants to see our streets look like a war zone, not in America. We are better than that. We can do better. We cannot ignore the inequities that persist in our justice system, inequities that undermine our most deeply held values of fairness and equality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: How can Mrs. Clinton engage African-American voters to keep the kind of engagement we`ve seen over the last few elections? Because there has been some missteps with the Clintons and the African-American votes.

MORIAL: I think she starts from a good spot, which is that she`s a known entity. And the record of her and her husband are certainly known in the African-American community. But they`re emerging new leaders, nothing should be taken for granted. There`s going to have to be outreach, engagement, a new set of relationship-building, Reverend. Because there are new kids on the block, they are new leaders out in the field, they are new players in cities all across the nation. And every presidential election is a forward looking event. Not necessarily a rearview mirror exercise.

So I think that issues like police community relations, criminal justice reform, voting rights, civil rights issues, if you will, are going to be important to so many of us, and how candidates speak about them, talk about them, and talk about acting on them. This is the -- would be the first post-Obama election, where we`ve had this historic figure of Barack Obama. Certainly many of us are going to be looking at this election, thinking about how, no matter whoever prevails, takes us forward and not backwards.

SHARPTON: And we`ve never been at this point in history before of where we`re looking at the post presidency of an African-American. We don`t know what that`s going to look like.

But let me ask you this, Krystal, the other factor, if Hillary Clinton decides to run, is her husband. NBC`s Andrea Mitchell talked to him in Iowa this weekend. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREA MITCHELL, NBC NEWS CHIEF FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: If she wants to, can she do it this time?

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have nothing to say. It`s not my decision.

MITCHELL: I think I know which way you would go.

B. CLINTON: No, you don`t. I don`t know yet which way I would vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Now, President Obama --

MORIAL: I never seen him duck like that.

(LAUGHTER)

SHARPTON: That`s a new one. But the president, President Obama deployed President Clinton very effectively, I might add, at the 2012 convention.

BALL: Absolutely.

SHARPTON: How could Mrs. Clinton do the same, assuming she runs?

BALL: Yes. Well, this is the tricky thing for her, right, because there`s also the piece of, how much do you run on the Clinton economy? Which for a lot of people they look back at that era and they remember a time of low unemployment, of booming growth, of shrinking deficits, all good things.

But there`s also a side of it, of so-called welfare reform, which has been very difficult for a lot of people and hasn`t ended up helping a lot of folks. There`s also NAFTA, right, which was a challenge for her back in 2008. What are you going to do to address that? So how much do you want to own your husband`s legacy, and how much do you want to separate yourself from that? That`s a question that she`s going to have to deal with.

I mean, in terms of former president Clinton, he`s an incredible communicator, but he can be, as you know, undisciplined, and he can be emotional. And it`s in those moments where he really poses a risk to her. There`s also at times, problem of him potentially overshadowing her. He is a former president. He is an incredibly charismatic figure, so that`s also a tight rope they have to walk. I mean, look, I think they can figure all that out. They have a trial run at it but those are some pieces that she`s going to answer some questions about.

SHARPTON: We are going to have to leave it there. Marc Morial and Krystal Ball, thank you both for your time tonight.

MORIAL: Thank you.

BALL: Thanks, Rev.

SHARPTON: And be sure to watch Krystal Ball on "the Cycle," weekdays at 3:00 p.m. eastern right here on MSNBC.

Coming up, NFL star Adrian Peterson will play this week after getting indicted for hitting his 4-year-old son with a tree branch. But it`s sparking a national debate today on disciplining kids and how far is too far. That`s next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: How far is too far when it comes to disciplining kids? Viking running back Adrian Peterson is sparking a national debate on parenting in America. He was indicted this weekend for hitting his 4-year-old son with a tree branch. Charged with reckless or negligent injury to a child. He was benched for yesterday`s game.

Photos obtained from the Houston police report show injuries he allegedly caused his 4-year-old son in May. The photos show cuts and bruises to the boy`s legs, buttocks and back, that he received from a switch, a tree branch, a punishment for pushing another Peterson son off a video game. There`s even a photo of Peterson demonstrating the kind of switch he use. Today the team spoke out, saying he`ll be back on the field this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SPELLMAN, VIKINGS GENERAL MANAGER: Based on the extensive information that we have right now, and what we know about Adrian not only as a person, but what he`s also done for this community, we believe he deserves to play, while the legal process plays out. At the same time, we must defer to the legal system to determine whether he went too far. But we cannot make that judgment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Today everyone seems to have an opinion, and many of the responses depend on cultural, racial, and class influences. So should Mr. Peterson be playing? And how far is too far when it comes to disciplining kids?

Joining me now, Goldie Taylor and Jonathan Capehart. His column is entitled "Adrian Peterson must beat his upbringing." Thank you both for being here.

JONATHAN CAPEHART, OPINION WRITER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Thanks, Rev.

TAYLOR: Thank you, Reverend.

SHARPTON: Jonathan, should Adrian Peterson be playing, did the NFL make the right call here?

CAPEHART: I`m not sure. After seeing the pictures of the injuries that his 4-year-old sustained, I`m not sure whether he should be playing. Look, as I wrote in the piece, you know, I too was someone who was whooped from time to time with a switch that sometimes I had to go and get myself. Other times, you know, a parent or a relative would go out and get it to ensure that whatever thing I wasn`t supposed to do I would never do it again.

But when you ask the question about how far is too far, I would have to say that the injuries that we`re looking at on the screen right now, that that`s too far. When you`re drawing blood from someone, from your own child, you`ve gone too far.

And also, the experience that I wrote about, my personal experience of having gone through this, I wasn`t a 4-year-old child. I was a little bit older. I think it`s excessive to do that to a 4-year-old child. Those injuries, so many of them, you just showed one picture, so many of them are so -- they`re gruesome, to the point where you have to wonder, what was going through Adrian Peterson`s mind. That`s a little excessive for a 4-year-old child who just pushed another Peterson child away from a video game.

SHARPTON: Goldie, and thank you for coming back, by the way. I also was spanked but not to the degree where blood was drawn. But I want to hear from you, Goldie, and then Jonathan the fact, Mr. Peterson released in my opinion, a very powerful statement, saying, quote, "I am not a perfect son. I`m not a perfect husband. I`m not a perfect parent. But I am without a doubt, not a child abuser. I`m someone that disciplines his child and did not intend to cause him any injury. No one can understand the hurt that I feel for my son and for the harm I caused him." He says, quote, "I am not a child abuser." Your reaction, Goldie?

TAYLOR: You know, my uncle Ross, who was the disciplinarian of our entire family could have well spoken those words. I heard them as authentic. I heard them as genuine. I heard them as coming from his heart. But the person who does the abusing doesn`t always understand what abusing is. And just because we were raised on it, just because it`s something so relevant and specific to our communities, it came out of slavery, by the way. Pulling a tree branch from a natural tree and whipping another person to break their spirit, to hold them in line, it`s something that we as a people brought from slavery. And so, we have to learn how to let that go.

And by the way, my uncle worked at the same (INAUDIBLE) gas station in St. Louis for 25 years. Would I have wanted him to lose his job? No. But would I have wanted him to be held publicly accountable for the deeds that he delivered on myself, on the older and my generation, especially on the boys? Absolutely I would have. And so, I`m a little bit conflicted by this, while I believe in a warm swat to the behind, what happened in the Peterson case, if he had done it to a 24-year-old man would be aggravated assault.

SHARPTON: Some -- their problem with people over the weekend came out and stated their views. Some defending Peterson. Watch this, Jonathan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m from the south. Whipping is -- we do that all the time. Every black parent in the south is going to be in jail under those circumstances.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I was a kid, parents bopped you. They hit you, took a switch, they kicked your behind and that was that. But I think all of this, you know, other people in your business, is a little much for me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any time your name is run through the mud and not let due process take its place, your brand is somewhat, and your reputation, no matter what anybody says, is hit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Jonathan, your reaction?

CAPEHART: Well, you know, I have to agree with what Goldie said in terms of feeling conflicted. Yes, as I talked about before, you know, what Adrian Peterson did to his son is, in my experience, in Goldie`s experience --

SHARPTON: And mine.

CAPEHART: Right, and yours. I`m not going to say this is something that is solely an African-American issue. I`ve been talking to people today who aren`t African-American who say that they had to do the same thing, where they also had to go out and pick their own switch and shuck the leaves off them.

But to add to something else Goldie said, the abuser never recognizes that they are abusive. The one thing that Adrian Peterson said in his statement was that he`s been seeing a psychologist, and as a result of talking to the psychologist, he has now learned that there are other, more appropriate ways to discipline your child that doesn`t rise to the level of taking a switch to that 4-year-old child. And I think that, in addition to the contrition that he`s shown in that statement, saying, I am not a perfect son, I am not a perfect husband, it remains to be seen whether the "I am not a child abuser" fits. But the idea that he`s seeing that what he did to his child is not appropriate, especially not in today`s -- not in this day and age, is, I actually think, a good first step.

SHARPTON: Now Goldie, we`re out of time, but Goldie, I think that it has to be fair to say that there are a lot of prominent people that came out and said he was wrong. And that they did not -- and I`m talking about African-Americans that come out of the same cultural and racial background. So let me show you this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can`t beat a kid to make him do what they want to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s correct. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thousands of things we have learned since then. And now we`re to the point, the only thing I`m proud about is the team that I played for, they did the right thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take him off the field.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are we supposed to simply separate a violent game on the field from violent acts off the field? If we do, what message does that send? What exactly does the NFL stand for?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: And Goldie, your reaction -- by the way, the first one speaking there was NFL hall of famer Chris Carter.

TAYLOR: Chris Carter is exactly right. You know, my mother loved me, my uncle loved me. I have no absolute doubt about that. But some of the things that they did were wrong. They didn`t know that they were wrong. They did them in love. I am older, I do better, I have grown children now, and not afraid to tell you I have warmed a behind. But I have never used a weapon on any of my children. And all of them did well and are successful in this life. And so, I have to say that we know more now. When we know more, we got to do better. We`ve got to take a real look at how we discipline our children in our communities.

SHARPTON: Well, I think, you know, as I said, I was spanked, never by a switch. A tree may grow in Brooklyn, but maybe they weren`t near our house. But I was spanked. And I do think it`s dangerous to leave the door open to allow people, especially now when we`ve seen such gruesome things happen, to allow spanking now is a lot different than when I was coming up, when you didn`t see the kind of abuse and the kind of going overboard.

And how do you protect children? Who gauges what is moderate and what is not? You either have to keep that door open or close it tight. Goldie Taylor and Jonathan Capehart, thank you both for your time tonight.

We`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JACOBSON: Actress Danielle Watts claimed she was detained by the LAPD for a public display of affection with her boyfriend. Watts is best known for her role in the movie "Django Unchained." Cell phone video from her boyfriend captured part of the scene. She was handcuffed and put into a squad car after refusing to show her I.D. She said she was fully clothe and had done nothing wrong.

The police say they were responding to a 911 call of indecent exposure. Watts claimed raise had something to do with it. And her boyfriend said he believe police mistook for Watts for prostitute. The LAPD released a statement that said, quote, "upon further investigation it was determined that no crime had been committed. Ms. Watts and her companion was subsequently released. An internal complaint investigation has been initiated regarding this matter."

We`ll keep following this story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JACOBSON: Finally on this day 51 years ago, these four little girls died in the KKK bombing of the 16th street Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama. This crime shocked the nation, and led to the civil rights act of 1964, and the voting rights act a year later. But half a century later, we face a new set of challenges. There are about 51 million people in America who are eligible to vote, but who aren`t registered. We need to change that. Everyone should vote. And early voting in the mid terms start this week. that`s the best way to honor the memory of those four little girls and all the others who have sacrificed so much on the long march toward freedom.

Thanks for watching. I`m Al Sharpton. "HARDBALL" starts right now.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. END

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